Westfield Superintendent Of Schools To Retire After 14 Years

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Margaret Dolan announced at Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting that she will retire as of July 1, after 14 years overseeing the district.

Westfield has 10 public schools serving more than 6,000 students in grades K-12, with a staff of over 900.

Dolan — who's been steering the district through perhaps the most unusual school year of her lifetime — began her career in Westfield as principal of Franklin Elementary School in 1996.

Dolan became assistant superintendent for human resources in 2001. She served as assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and programs from 2005-2007 and was appointed superintendent of schools in 2007.

“It has been a great honor to serve the Westfield Public Schools as a principal, assistant superintendent, and the district’s first female superintendent,” Dolan wrote in a letter of notification to board members. “I would like to thank the 30 Board of Education members with whom I have and am now working.”

She said that leading the district through the COVID-19 pandemic has been the most challenging aspect of her tenure, but she feels confident that she is leaving the district “a strong and talented administrative team.”

“Our principals and supervisors are skilled, knowledgeable and committed to our students,” she says. “Our teachers have always searched for imaginative and creative approaches to inspire their students. This has never been more true than during the pandemic.”

Dolan, a lifelong advocate for the arts and a musician herself, also has served during the past year as president of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA).

Each year, Dolan developed goals to fulfill the district’s five-year Strategic Plan and worked with the nine-member Board of Education to demonstrate fiscal responsibility.

During her tenure as superintendent, the district upgraded and improved security protocols and equipment, transitioned to a standards-based report card, encouraged conservation with the installation of solar panels and other measures, supported innovative uses of technology in the classroom, and launched a new website.

According to a story in TAPInto, Dolan grew up in Jersey City and taught music in the public schools in Scotch Plains, Irvington, and Bayonne before becoming principal in Westfield. She has a doctorate in education administration from Rutgers and a Bachelor's in Music Education from Douglass College.

In her letter to the board, Dolan said “It is our great fortune” to have parents who value education and who support the district’s educators.

“We find hope in the future, as we watch our students’ creativity, thoughtfulness, and resiliency,” she wrote.

Dolan said she is hopeful that the next school year will bring an easing of COVID restrictions.

"Of one thing I am certain," she said, "The Westfield Public School District will maintain its tradition of excellence, as it has in times of trial, and in times of triumph, guided by a vision informed by the Board of Education, the staff members, the parents, and the students.”

Read other recent stories about the Westfield schools on Westfield Patch here.

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